Blog

U.S. Forest Service Takes a Damaging Shortcut in the Ottawa National Forest

The Ottawa National Forest is one of the Midwest’s great public lands. A place defined by mature forests, coldwater streams, waterfalls, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation that supports local communities across Michigan’s Western Upper Peninsula. Decisions about how this forest is managed matter deeply, not just today, but for generations.

5/4/26

Kelly Thayer

Why Consumer’s Proposed Dam Sale is Bad for Michigan

ELPC is representing conservation groups opposing the proposed sale to a Maryland-based private equity firm and protect Michigan’s rivers, communities, and ratepayers.

5/4/26

Daniel Abrams

What the Proposed Freight Merger Could Mean for the Midwest

NS-UP freight railroad merger could affect air quality and passenger rail service in Chicago and throughout the Midwest

4/30/26

Kevin Brubaker

Electric School Buses Hit the Road in Grand Rapids

A former student, now ELPC intern, reflects on the benefits of cleaner air for young Michiganders

4/29/26

The Clean Energy Program that Minnesota Chose — and the One It Didn’t

ELPC is actively pursuing a behind-the-meter VPP requirement in Xcel's pending rate case and IDP, where we've argued that Xcel has already made the necessary technological investments and should maximize their value for ratepayers.

4/27/26

Erica S. McConnell

Trump Administration Chooses Coal Ash Pollution Over Your Health

Tell U.S. EPA your concerns about the impact of leaking coal ash pits on your health

4/20/26

Nancy Stoner

Chicago Moves One Step Closer to a Public Bus Station

Key committee approves plan to purchase and renovate Chicago’s old Greyhound Station, kicking off the process to rejuvenate intercity bus service for the 21st century

4/16/26

Lena Guerrero Reynolds

3 Clean Energy Priorities for Midwest Data Centers

Across the region, policymakers are now writing the rules that will shape how this growth plays out for electric grids, climate goals, and household energy bills.

4/16/26

Brad Klein

Americans Want More Passenger Rail

Amid record gas prices, we need more trains, not fewer

4/9/26

Derrick James

5 Reasons Illinois Must Act Now to Protect Wetlands

Wetlands are an essential ecosystem for communities and wildlife across Illinois. Protecting them is more important than ever.

4/2/26

David McEllis

Thinking Ahead this Earth Month

Simple ways to support ELPC and protect the environment for future generations

4/2/26

Addie Epstein Lawyer

Testimony in Support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

ELPC submitted testimony to Congress in support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, an effective, bipartisan program that protects where we live, work, and play

3/30/26

Howard A. Learner

Trump’s Housing Order Puts Water Risks on Homeowners

New Executive Order on Housing Guts Water Protections and Makes Housing More Vulnerable, Not More Affordable

3/23/26

Nancy Stoner

Challenging Consumers Energy’s Plan to Sell 13 Michigan Dams

ELPC is representing conservation groups opposing the proposed sale to a Maryland-based private equity firm and protect Michigan’s rivers, communities, and ratepayers.

3/19/26

Daniel Abrams

Herbicides, Pesticides and Chemicals: Watch What They are Doing, Not What They’re Saying 

After all of the rhetoric from Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services about healthier foods and food systems, here’s what the Trump administration has recently done on herbicides, pesticides and chemicals. 

3/18/26

Howard A. Learner

Nature Record Assessment: Why is the Trump Administration Hiding the Ball?

This first-of-its-kind assessment of the health of nature in the United States was cancelled by the Trump White House. The researchers then went ahead and compiled it on their own.

3/17/26

Howard A. Learner

Encouraging Coal Divestment in Cedar Falls, Iowa

ELPC Policy Advocate Matt Ohloff highlights the local opportunities to divest from MidAmerican's coal plants in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

3/12/26

Matt Ohloff

Affordable Alternatives to Pricey Gas Line Replacements

Peoples Gas should only do pipe replacement as the last resort, ensuring that lower cost, lower risk alternatives have been reasonably ruled out.

3/3/26

Saad Siddique

Cutting Peak Energy Costs with Demand Response

Demand response programs incentivize customers—from homeowners to large industrial users—to temporarily reduce or shift electricity use during periods of high demand.

2/25/26

Karsten Neumeister

So Much for Partnership: Weaker Oversight Puts Our Water at Risk

EPA’s latest proposal would undercut partnership with states and tribes that have protected the nation’s waters for 53 years.

2/18/26

Nancy Stoner

EPA Endangerment Repeal Ignores Law and Science – We’ll See Them in Court

Here’s what the Environmental Law & Policy Center is saying and doing as we prepare to file a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the Trump EPA's illegal and misguided repeal of the sound science-based federal greenhouse gases Endangerment Finding, and repeal of clean car and clean truck standards.

2/18/26

Howard A. Learner

Northeastern Illinois Deserves Strong Transit Leadership

Coalition letter calls on Chicagoland leaders to appoint innovative and experienced leaders to the new NITA board

2/5/26

Lena Guerrero Reynolds

ELPC Victory Video: Toxic Dump to Lakefront Park

Watch this video about a tremendous victory by ELPC and partners to stop a toxic waste dump and turn it into a lakefront park on Chicago's Southeast side.

2/3/26

500 Claims, Fewer Protections: Why EPA’s “Accomplishments” Don’t Add Up for Clean Water, Clean Air, or Public Health

The Trump EPA has been dismantling long-standing environmental protections at breakneck speed, rejecting clear science and putting lives at risk

2/2/26

Lena Guerrero Reynolds